Four high-ranking officials caught gambling

Four high-ranking officials were caught red-handed gambling at midnight on July 21 at the Dak Bla Hotel in the central highland province of Kon Tum, according to a Thanh Nien news source July 23. The officials include Nguyen Huu Tho, chief of the accounting and finance department of Kon Tum Post Office; Tran Dau, chief accountant of Kon Tum Telephone Company; Dinh Van Thang, vice head of information department of Kon Tum Telephone Company; and a man named Ngoc, head an insurance agency in the area. Police reportedly seized hundreds of million of VND, which was later reported in police minutes as only VND2 million. The four men remain at large, and local police have refused to release information to the press, though Thanh Nien journalists continue to make requests. Public opinion has raised concerns over possible collusion between police and the gamblers. (Reported Nguyen Tran, Minh Nguyet – Translated by Minh Phat)